1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a non-invasive physiologic monitoring system which includes a garment incorporating an array of sensors and communications for transmitting monitored physiological signals to a recording/alarming unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
The administration of health care has been shifting from traditional hospital-based care to home-based self care due to an increase in medical literacy and the complex medical technology that is being introduced to the home and skilled nursing facility environments. This trend requires skilled nursing facilities or at-home utilization of devices for monitoring physiologic signs of a patient as an objective measure of health status. Furthermore, such at-home devices must provide the same results as would be obtained in a hospital by nurses and other professional health care providers. Non-invasive monitors are preferred for use outside of the hospital because of their lack of risk of negative effects associated with invasive sensors that must be placed within the body, such as intravascular catheters.
Systems for measuring a patient's "vital signs" have been described by others. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,139 discloses a vital signs monitoring and communication system. This system, however is used for monitoring a patient under anesthesia. Furthermore, it uses invasive sensors, such as an esophageal stethoscope, that are cabled to a nearby receiver. Messages from the receiver are then transmitted by an infrared link to the health care provider. The system messages merely identify which of the monitored physiologic signs, such for example is `heart` or `temperature`, is in an alarm condition when such an alarm condition occurs.
Other prior art systems include monitoring devices that respond to short term events, such as breathing monitors which monitor for apneas and brief episodes of tachycardia. Therefore, there still exists a need for a non-invasive physiologic signs monitor that can be used in a home setting so as to allow patients who would otherwise be required to stay at a hospital to live at home while maintaining the monitoring necessary for their particular health conditions without sacrificing the level of reliability and scrutiny that they would receive in the hospital.